California IN BRIEF : VENTURA : Oil Worker Limits Spill From Gusher

An abandoned oil well near the ocean northwest of Ventura burst, sending a gusher of oil 60 feet into the air. But an oil field worker limited the spill to about 3,000 gallons and prevented significant environmental damage to a nearby creek and a beach, Ventura County Fire Department authorities said. The worker, Mo Valencia, was a few hundred feet away in a skip loader when the well blew near the small community of Seacliff, authorities said. Valencia quickly emptied a load of dirt at the edge of Madranio Creek to stop the oil from oozing toward the sea. Then he drove the skip loader over to the well, blocking the gusher with his machine’s scoop and preventing the oil from coating nearby trees.